IMPACT OF LATINO VOTERS IS GROWING

In this region and nationwide, advocacy groups said they also worked hard to make sure Latinos not only registered to vote but actually went to the polls.

This election’s formidable Latino turnout will help shape how campaigns are conducted in the future, said Fernando Guerra, a political science professor at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles.

In the past, campaigns rarely bothered to court all potential Latino voters, including those with spotty voting records.

“Obama changed that,” he said. “The Obama ground game was colorblind. It went after everyone.”

Guerra said Latinos’ overwhelming support for Democrats this week sent a loud message about their views regarding the Republican Party.

In particular, he said, many Latinos judged candidates through the prism of immigration.

“It’s not that immigration is most important, but that is the issue they know best and internalize. (How can you) illustrate that you are a good guy but you are also willing to deport people and separate families?” Guerra said. “Even second- or third-generation Latinos who are not immigrants themselves see this. If you are anti-immigrant, you are probably also anti-Latino, and you probably wouldn’t give me a fair chance.”

Issues of empathy and trust also played a role in San Diego County, political experts here said.

They are confident that outreach to Latino voters impacted both the San Diego mayoral race and support for Proposition Z, a $2.8 billion bond measure for the San Diego Unified School District that was also the largest school bond offering in California.

The campaign for Proposition Z was focused on Latino voters, said Richard Barrera, a trustee on the San Diego Unified school board.

“Education, year after year, is probably the most important issue to Latino families,” Barrera said. “It’s the reason so many families are working two or three jobs at once — so their kids have a brighter future.”

In the mayoral contest, winner Bob Filner has been receiving kudos from Latino organizers and supporters. They credit his social-media outreach in Spanish, his appearances at Latino community events big and small, and his history of attention to Latinos throughout his political career — from school board member to city councilman to congressman.

Filner spokeswoman Lena’ Lewis said he was unavailable for comment Thursday.

“This election is going to set the tone for the future. If you cannot connect with the Latino community, you will not be elected mayor ... as the population continues to grow,” said San Diego Councilman David Alvarez, who campaigned for Filner.

Another major supporter, the nonprofit Environmental Health & Justice Campaign, targeted dozens of precincts south of Interstate 8 that are predominantly Latino, low-income and highly affected by pollution, lack of public transportation and other infrastructure problems.

“Filner’s candidacy was critically important for our community,” said Diane Takvorian, the group’s executive director. “These are voters who don’t tend to be as well represented, and their influence isn’t acknowledged in most campaigns. They are really the future of our city and our region.”